“Chief’s Reflection”

Location: Pacific City, Oregon (2019)

Haystack Rock (Chief Kiwanda) is reflected in a pool of water on the beach during an overcast day.

Sometimes water will become stranded on the beach during low tide. But not always.

This photograph was taken during a minus tide when the water had greatly receded.
(If you look closely, you can see a lightly colored ring around the base of the rock that shows the average tide level.)

This stranded water provided a reflective surface for an opportunity to photograph Chief Kiwanda’s portrait.  

It’s by no means a perfect reflection of the basaltic monolith. The reflection is like a shadow – an impression of what the actual subject is. And the coloration of the rock is one which I haven’t seen often.

Photographed during the summer under thick cloud cover, the rock is unusually light brown and not its typical slate gray and moss green coloration.